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Rock Solid Dog Training, Chaska, MN (2026)

05/31/2026

Decisive Battle

During World War II Japan had the concept of a decisive battle. The idea was that this would be the battle that would turn the war in their favor to the point the Allies could not recover. The Japanese would then be able to sue for peace on their own terms.

It is an interesting idea but one, according to them, they never fulfilled. (It will come around to dogs, just hang one.)

I tend to disagree with the thought that this never came about. There were a couple of decisive battles but they simply didn't go the way that the Japanese Navy wanted them to go. Fact of the matter is that there could never really be a decisive battle from the Japanese side.

As I have been reading (okay, I admit it, listening too) a lot of WWII history books recently and I am sick to death of the phrase "Decisive Battle". It feels far more like the person who is waiting for a sign and the sign hits them in the face but it is not the sign they wanted so they keep searching.

I see this so much in day to day life as well as dog training. Handlers are waiting for "that seminar" and it will fix every problem I have ever had. I know it!

Spoiler alert, it doesn't. I mean if you pay attention, listen and practice things will get better for you but that also may have happened had you just done the practice part.

I think I shared this story previously. Penny and I were at runthrus (practice tests) and one of the ladies that was giving the runthrus was there practicing with her dog before everything started. I noted that in between exercises that she could walk over to a table next to the ring and write something down.

I asked her, what are you doing? She said that at the seminar she was at the trainer said to write down everything you do during training with some notes. Then when you get home review the notes. To be effective you have to do this for several weeks. She was currently towards the end of week two and she told me she had seen massive improvement.

"Cool. Can I ask a question?"

"Sure" she said.

I said "how many days in the last two weeks have your practiced?"

"Probably 12 out of 14. " She then started flip through her book counting. "Yes, 12 out of 14."

I then asked "how often did you practice previous to the seminar?"

"Maybe once a week." she said innocently.

I just smiled and said "that's great" and moved on.

The lady needed her decisive battle in order to overcome the issues she was having when in reality just practicing six times a week helped her be more consistent and her dog better understand what she was asking for.

In reality a decisive battle in regular life just looks like a spot where you are rolling the dice and all in on whatever you are trying to achieve. That could be at your annual review where you are going to stand up for yourself or at the car dealership to get the deal you want on the car. They all look pretty much the same and for the most part they are never as big of a deal as you think they are, particularly if you don't win the battle.

Your dogs have all kinds of decisive battles. Whether they can be on the furniture or sleep in bed, if they can pull on the leash on walks or if you really mean "stay" when you say it.

I would argue in many cases your dog's decisive battles are likely more permanent than your own in everyday life. Once a dog figures out how to win the battle they rarely have to retreat and you end up suing for peace in your own house.

I am sure that many reading this are now questioning my connection between all of these things. I mean after all war seems a lot more serious than training your dog or buying a car. That is something I would agree with but the Japanese treated it like it was an everyday thing just like any of these events, it couldn't be a decisive battle if it didn't go their way. Great rule but not one that will work in real life.

Back to the history for a moment.

There were two battles that were really decisive, Guadalcanal and Leyte Gulf. In both cases there was a beatdown by the Allies, granted it was a horribly bloody one for both sides but one changed the course of the war and the second locked in the final result. There are many good books written on the topics and I would be happy to recommend them but for this week, understand where your decisive battles actually lie. Understand what is worth fighting and winning for and what things are just meh moments.

When everything is a decisive battle, nothing is a decisive battle.

Enjoy the week!

-Dave
[Today's photo is of Penny who is a battle all by herself]

05/30/2026

New content tomorrow!

05/24/2026

Ramblings

So lots of stuff going on but don't necessarily have an overall theme this week but maybe that is the overall theme, random thoughts and ramblings.

I listened to a podcast this week (don't ever remember what it was) but it hit on something that really stuck with me about my friend group.

I don't have a lot of "close friends" which I have always been fine with. I know a lot of people and chat with them as I see them, however I don't have a lot that I am in regular contact with. I have found that in the last few years that group has shrunk even further.

My thought is that I'm anti-social, which to an extent I am, but what the podcast shed some light on why this group has shrunk over the last couple of years. What they talked about is when you get older you simply value your peace and protect it far more than you did in the past. As I look back on things I do find that to be really true.

I have moved away from those that want to talk politics or yammer on for hours about things or only call when they have a computer or dog training problem. I no longer watch the news because there is exactly zero percent of any of it you can trust. Even sports which I have always loved I have cut way back on because when you are from Minnesota you know that they are only here to crush your soul. It is especially no fun when the teams are not even trying to get better. I lived through the Twins of the late 60's and early 70's so I have seen this show before.

I have a lot of acquaintances including many people that stop by here to read articles on Sundays. Most everyone are very nice people and all in on things written here. I do really appreciate everyone that stops by and leaves a comment.

All of this stuff sounds pretty depressing but it really isn't. Not sure I have enjoyed life outside of work more than recently. Getting to build models, do research, play with the dogs and have my family is really pretty awesome.

On Big Bang Theory Leonard talks about how he takes Sheldon to the park every other week to throw the ball for him so he gets his "outside time". Thor is taking care of that for me. I go to lessons with him every couple of weeks and interact with our trainer. We generally have a good time and if she's good I bring Penny (her favorite) to visit her and help clean out the treats from under the shelving in one of the rings. We have also known each other for way too many years now so we understand each other (my goal of not having a perfect dog in the ring, just a dog that is a good dog).

This week a memory popped up on Facebook for Murphy who 10 years ago finished his Utility Dog Title (higher level obedience title) and I realized just how long I have been taking dogs to our trainer and just how many times she talked me out of quitting which gives me hope that human interact actually is beneficial.

The memory also brought up other funny Murphy stories. We were in the ring together for the first time in Novice class.
That day the judge was wearing a long flowing and very colorful summer dress. Apparently Murphy had never seen a long dress like this and as the judge walked over to us to start our heeling Murphy stuck his nose under her dress. Fortunately she thought it was funny but for me it was a tough start having to apologize to the judge before we even started.

Another Murphy story when he was in Open. We were competing at the club we trained at. We got to the dumbbell retrieve on flat (no obstacles, just a straight line to the dumbbell) and Murphy decided it wasn't challenging enough. When I sent him to retrieve the judge was standing in front of the jump for the next exercise. I threw and he went off to the left right toward the judge and stopped. He stood and stared at her until she moved. She stepped to the side and he proceeded to jump over the jump, run over and grab the dumbbell and then head back to the jump. The judge was standing on the other side and this time did not move. Murphy stood and staired at her for what seemed like minutes but it was probably 10 seconds. He then kind of huffed derisively and trotted around the jump and back to me. As I took the dumbbell he looked over his shoulder as if to say "she was in the way" and then we finished the exercise.

Final Murphy story. We were at a trial on the second day of a back to back trial weekend. Murphy was having a good day in the Utility ring. We were about halfway through the event. Amy had come along to watch and was hiding behind the other two token guys who compete in obedience. We got to the part that we call articles or scent discrimination. Basically you have a total of eight leather and metal dumbbells. They take six of them and put them out in a random order and you put your scent on whichever one the judge hands you (you have to do one of each).

This event always gave us fits. We started our training over in this event SO many times. Murphy would be locked in on it and a week later acted like he had never seen the exercise before. Well on this day we got a combo platter of Murphy.

First we set out the leather article. Judge took it, walked it out to the pile (Murphy was looking over his shoulder so I am pretty sure he was cheating) and then told me to "send your dog". We turned together and I sent him out find the dumbbell. He searched around two or three times and then confidently picked up the correct article and started to trot back. The judge gave me a thumbs up and just then it happened, Murphy dropped the dumbbell turned around and went back to search again.

There was an audible gasp from people that were watching, I don't remember what I was thinking because I am pretty sure my heart stopped beating. After two more rounds Murphy simply jogged over to the dumbbell that he had dropped, picked it up and continued to me to finish the exercise. I swear I hear him say "psych". We then prepped for the second article which he went straight out, picked up and brought back without issue.

On all three occasions Murphy qualified but it was rarely without just a little bit of drama!

Murphy was a very special boy and a good partner. He always worked really hard at whatever we did. If the field her ran like crazy, he loved hunting and finding birds. In the ring he liked being the center of attention. He was a very simple boy however. He was not blessed with deep thought, only a really good work ethic. No dog we have owned has ever tried harder to understand what we wanted from him. Also no dog was nearly as charming to judges who judged him. He was indeed a very good boy and a good friend to me.

While I have to protect my peace I also have to remember the four leggers around me. They lead to some very not peaceful moments but they have also introduced us to many people who have become friends.

I hope you have peace in your life this week!

-Dave

[Today's photo is of Murphy]

05/24/2026

New Content tomorrow‼️

05/10/2026

Sammy B

Okay, I will admit that the title of today's rantings is a bit puzzling. Was our dog Sam called Sammy B? No, our field trainer was the only one that ever called her Sammy but it is not her.

Sammy B was a World War II Destroyer Es**rt (ship) which was sunk off Samar Island in the Philippines. Sammy B (The USS Samuel B. Roberts DE-413) participated and was sunk during the Battle off Samar in which a bunch of smaller US Navy ships took on some of the biggest ships of the Japanese Navy. This is a very well-known event in Naval history because of its heroism with these very small ships attacking a superior force in order to delay the Japanese from attacking the US invasion force going into Leyte.

Is this article about the Sammy B? Well, you know a bit more about where it is now and hoping you may actually go look up the story for yourself. It is a great story of sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds.

So, no, this is actually about the expedition to find the Sammy B in 2022 or it is at least about the unintended words giving away the true intention.

In June of 2022 Victor Vescovo, a former Navy officer and now super rich guy, and his Caladan Oceanic Search group were searching for the Light Carrier Gambier Bay near the Philippines. They were in very deep parts of the ocean (6840 meters) and started to see debris. The debris however was not that of the Gambier Bay but it was of the Sammy B.

Caladan has made a vessel that can go deeper than anything before it and has amazing technology in it. It was built for this specific purpose, to find wrecks deep in the ocean, as well as map out many undiscovered places far below the surface.

The group never thought it would be possible to actually find the Sammy B as it is merely a tiny blip on the ocean floor. As they neared a spot where they had calculated the Gambier Bay went down, they started to see debris. The debris was unique to only one class of warship so they had suspicions as to what it could be.

A second dive was planned and on this dive they found the Sammy B. Still very much intact, beaten to hell by the Japanese ships, but still very clean sitting on the ocean floor. Wow! (There is full video of the expedition on the Caladan YouTube Channel.)

On both occasions of finding either debris or the actual ship, the first thing the crew of the sub said was "this is the deepest discovered ship wreck debris in history". Each time they have found something (watching their other videos) they are very impressed by this same fact. This seems to tell me that the search for the ships is secondary to setting records. What seems like a little bit of a bragging comment exposes a bigger motive in what they are doing than just finding these ships.

This comes back to my time teaching obedience and what people would casually tell me. "He's a rescue", "She was abused" and my favorite "this is the dumbest dog you will ever see". People will lead with what is important to them and that is telling.

When we had Charles I will admit, I did talk about his "show" record. I was pretty proud of it. After him, we have had a couple of show champions who are now just announced by their names "this is Thor". This is because Thor is far more interesting than Show Champion Thor.

Who do you want them to be known as? A rescue dog? Well, that was in the past and hopefully you have moved past that and they are now Rex or Tim or Fred and here is why I named him that. They moved past rescue when you got them, now they are your dog and are just trying to adjust and fit in.

The folks that talk about their dog being abused, well for the most part they have no actual knowledge of that, it is a narrative that fits them not holding the dog to a standard. In many cases the dogs has simply learned to manipulate humans by acting a certain way to get them to stop what they are trying to get them to do.

Sam (Brittany Sam) actually taught me a lot about this with dogs in the field. We would get a dog in that had a terrible trainer/owner in their previous life and the dog was very unsure what to do. Sam would constantly come back to the dog and basically tell them that it was okay, just follow her.

Each time out the dog would venture out a little more and follow Sam a little more. A correction was no longer an issue because it was very clear and there was an opportunity to not be corrected. The dog would stretch out a bit more and eventually not need Sam anymore.

Now had the new owners believed what they were told about the dog not being able to hunt or being gun shy, both dog and owner would have missed out on some very good times.

I guess the lesson out of all of this is to listen to your words. Often times your words tell the story that you are currently living, not necessarily the story you could be living. It is funny how often we can make our own words come true both positively and negatively.

Figure out where you want to go and begin to use those words and think about that path. The past is done, there is nothing you can do about it. Start over and plot a new course and don't let anything get in your way.

-Dave

[Today's photos are of Sam and I as well as the Sammy B! If you want to read a great story of the battle check out Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer]

05/09/2026

As promised, new content tomorrow!

05/03/2026

Birthday Month

So in the next forty five days we have three birthdays. First is Penny on May 1st, then Thor on June 1st and Kara on June 13th. Taylor follows up at the end of July so everyone is actually pretty tightly grouped as far as birthdays go.

I sort of figured with the birthdays it may be a good time to give a general update on everyone as a couple of them have had a very busy last couple of months. We will go in order of age.

Penny just turned 15 on Friday. She got her birthday cheeseburger (you can watch that on the Rock Solid Brittanys page if you want to see the video) and she got to celebrate with her brother and sisters.

Penny had her eye removed a couple months back. She had to have emergency eye surgery a few years back when she luxated her lens (basically it disconnected). Everything was fine for about two and a half years and then she started having some issues. She was having problems keeping the eye open. When we took her into the vet they took the pressure on her eye and it was highly elevated. We opted to have the eye removed as Penny was in discomfort and she could basically only see light out of that eye since her other surgery.

The surgery was simple and really only took 20 minutes. Penny came out and just wanted to go home. She has suffered no ill effects due to the eye issue. She has adjust quite well to only having a single eye (her human's not quite as much) but she still can catch treats and is still spunky as ever. She got to go a month or so ago and visit her trainer. They had a lovely time and Penny got to help clean out the treats from under the shelves there.

She is doing very well over all. On weekend afternoons we have taken to taking naps. Penny gets a little impatient but we will go sit in the big chair together and she will fall asleep (as will I) and we will just hang for a while. There are a lot of things to do but none seem quite as important as hanging with Penny.

Taylor was diagnosed a few months back with an aggressive form of cancer that is actually on the inside of the chamber of the heart. Thus far, two and half months in, she is doing very well. She still runs and plays with everyone, barks into the wind when she is outside and has taken up shredding stuffies which it appears she is quite good at. To this point she is none the worse for wear and just continues on her daily routine.

The only change I have actually seen is that she has started to hang out with me more. She will seek me out and crash on me on the chair or at night she will come and lay on top of me while Amy is getting ready for bed. I mean she immediately bails when Amy comes in but it is nice.

I don't know what the future holds for her but for today she is doing great. That may or may not change we will just have to wait and see. For now we are just enjoying everyday.

Thor will turn five this year. I am not sure how that happened in what feels like a year and a half but here we are. He has grown up into a very good dog. He watches out for Penny all the time. You can often find them curled up next to each other.

Thor has been advancing in his agility stuff, continuing to move up through the classes and he is also now going to class to become a therapy dog. It will be something he is really good at if we can get our arms around the jumping up on people stuff that he does. He is very friendly and personable and Amy would like him to be a reading dog for kids. He will like that a lot.

He has also been working on obedience as my life allows. He picks stuff up fairly quickly. He is not as good as Penny (who is) but better than Murphy was. He seems to enjoy himself at class and likes to work. Earlier in the year I set my goal as him being ready to go through all levels of obedience before we start competing. I believe we will get there but I do have to work with him more because he isn't Penny :)

Kara will be 4 next month. Again, how did that happen. Kara is very different than any other dog we have had. She is sort of personable but only on her terms. She is a little skittish around new people and takes a bit for her to warm up to them. She has been doing agility or as she calls it doing calisthenics for treats. She is actually pretty physically gifted and can run and do all the stuff as well as most any dog can.

A couple months ago Amy started taking her to "tricks" class. This really seemed to open Kara up to a lot of new things. While she is still a little bit of Michigan J Frog (you have to watch the old Buggs Bunny to understand that) she really enjoys the class and the instructor. She is on her second session of the class and she and Amy both enjoy it. Kara is very much Amy's dog. If Amy is home Kara is with her. I am at best a spare human for her which I am fine with.

When I get up at night to use the restroom Kara will come gets pets when I sit down to go back to bed. It is something Murphy and I had for probably the last 10 years of his life, it was kind of our thing and now it would appear to be Kara's and mine also.

So, there you have it. You are up to date on the happenings, health and training of everyone! There will be a new regular column next week!

-Dave
[Today's photo will be a surprise because I haven't picked one yet.]

05/03/2026

New content coming tomorrow!

03/22/2026

More Possibilities

I have often written about possibilities and how much fun to imagine what they are when you let your mind wander.

In the last couple of weeks I have completed a ship model and an aircraft model which left my workbench pretty empty. The possibilities of what was next got my mind racing. So many cool things to build, so many historic things to try to recreate, so many new techniques to try on new subjects!

You can see how this would get your mind racing a bit. If that doesn't work for you, imagine the next hunting season with your new shotgun or your daily commute with your cool new sports car or . It is indeed exciting. It is also a bit overwhelming.

In the case of my model building, I have a decent size collection of kits to build which are of many subjects. Ships can take 2 to 6 months to complete, aircraft and tanks are more the 2 month range if you stay focused. Either is a fair commitment of time and energy particularly when there are a hundred more waiting in line.

Now think of this in terms of a new puppy. All the things you can possibly do with them. Setting them up for classes, training with them or just going out into the woods with them and letting them chase stuff. Somehow we all have a very romanticized view of all of this. I mean that view is probably valid 20% of the time. 80% of the time puppies are a lot of work and I would say there are days where they are lucky they are cute.

As the puppy grows the 20% begins to swing also. They stop peeing in the house or tearing things up (well, most of the time) and they start to want to hang out and play with you more. They are less interested in chewing on your and more interested in getting pets. It is when they start to be cool.

This is also the time that you start to realize what the possibilities actually realistically are. Kara is a bit skittish around new people. She will warm up to them eventually but it is unlikely she will be able to be a therapy dog unless they are looking for a dog they can simply look at and think they are cute.

Thor on the other hand is probably a bit too friendly. He jumps on people and wants to give them the "Thor experience". This is "hi, I'm Thor and you will love me, right now." Thor has possibilities to fulfill this particular possibility as we just need to dial it back a bit. Kara will need to find other things to do.

Sam was a good therapy dog in certain situations. She loved high school kids but taking her to a nursing home with the very mixed energy was overwhelming for her and she hated it. She spent a lot of time with high school kids who I believe told her a lot of secrets and she helped a lot. She fulfilled almost all of her possibilities.

As I thought more and more about possibilities this last week I came to a couple of realizations about them.

First, not all possibilities are positive. When Taylor was diagnosed her possibilities didn't look great. Frankly we don't know what will happen with her but to this point she is doing great and still full of herself. In fact she and Kara probably wrestle more than they ever have. Her possibilities have made us reprioritized time with her and helping her have the best time ever. It would be a week a month or five years we just don't know. But she still has a lot of possibilities!

Second, don't get stuck weighing possibilities. They will never come to fruition if you never attempt to achieve them. I could easily weigh each of the hundred kits I have but nothing will get built and that is the fun of the hobby. Amy could think about doing therapy work or agility with Thor but without actually doing it, that possibility will be wasted.

Imagine your possibilities, whatever they are and then get out there and try to fulfill them. You will not regret it, even if you are unsuccessful. Even if unsuccessful you will learn from it, you can either make a plan to try again to fulfill it or you will write it off as not for you. Either way, it is really a success!

Let's do this!

-Dave

[Today's photo is of Penny (the oldest) and Kara (the youngest). They do indeed show the range of possibilities.]

03/21/2026

New content tomorrow which includes a Taylor update!

Rock Solid Dog Training

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